It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders

3.8 (2K)
TRUE CRIME
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These were murders that would turn any town on its head, but La Jolla, Calif? That rich jewel by the sea? Thirty years ago, a man and his new wife were murdered in their bed. That’s a long time for a double homicide to stay in the public eye and imagination, but these were no ordinary murders. The killer was the man’s first wife, Betty Broderick. Betty and Dan Broderick had looked like the perfect couple, right up until they weren’t. After four children and nearly 15 years of marriage, after the riches they both worked for were finally within reach, he walked out and began having an affair with his assistant. But divorce ended the Brodericks’ marriage only on paper. “Till death do you part” turned out to be the way it would ultimately end: bitter, savage and fatal. It took two criminal trials to send Betty Broderick to prison, and we’ll hear not only from her divorce attorney, but also from the criminal defense attorney who argued for her in two murder trials, plus the foreman of the jury that convicted her. So many things burned this case into memory: The principals were rich. The jealous killer was, for a change, the woman, not the man. It’s been the subject of TV movies and books. It’s resonated with two generations of Americans -- deserted wives, unhappy husbands. And it’s raised some questions about how divorce laws may contribute to what’s called the feminization of poverty. All of these issues remain critical and controversial in contemporary America today. Thirty years after five bullets, two coffins and one California prison inmate No. W42477, why can’t we look away from Betty Broderick?

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TRAILER

Introducing "It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders"

It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders premieres on May 26th.

S1

•

3 min

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Patt Morrison

Host

3.8

out of 5

1,993 Ratings

Slightly frustrating

06/11/2021

Boston Jody

It was frustrating that there wasn’t enough detail about the actual murders. The victims were shot in the chest, but were they aware Betty shot them or was it sudden death? What was the coroner’s opinion? The description of the murders was superficial.
So LA Times

12/14/2022

Lexryland

Leave it to the times to turn this into Clinton political commercial…. GAD NOTHING YO DO WITH ANY OF IT
Confusing writing.

07/21/2022

TuffBunny091836

It goes for fifteen minutes introducing the story by telling you the ending. It finally gets to the story and then goes out of sequence.
Amateurish, Tone Deaf

10/14/2021

The Window Whisper

Clunky pacing. Plays cutesy funny music over portions of story depicting shocking harassment and abuse of the man, kept thinking how they would never do this with the roles reversed. Dismissive tone towards people with traditional values. Snooty and callous narration.

These were murders that would turn any town on its head, but La Jolla, Calif? That rich jewel by the sea? Thirty years ago, a man and his new wife were murdered in their bed. That’s a long time for a double homicide to stay in the public eye and imagination, but these were no ordinary murders. The killer was the man’s first wife, Betty Broderick. Betty and Dan Broderick had looked like the perfect couple, right up until they weren’t. After four children and nearly 15 years of marriage, after the riches they both worked for were finally within reach, he walked out and began having an affair with his assistant. But divorce ended the Brodericks’ marriage only on paper. “Till death do you part” turned out to be the way it would ultimately end: bitter, savage and fatal. It took two criminal trials to send Betty Broderick to prison, and we’ll hear not only from her divorce attorney, but also from the criminal defense attorney who argued for her in two murder trials, plus the foreman of the jury that convicted her. So many things burned this case into memory: The principals were rich. The jealous killer was, for a change, the woman, not the man. It’s been the subject of TV movies and books. It’s resonated with two generations of Americans -- deserted wives, unhappy husbands. And it’s raised some questions about how divorce laws may contribute to what’s called the feminization of poverty. All of these issues remain critical and controversial in contemporary America today. Thirty years after five bullets, two coffins and one California prison inmate No. W42477, why can’t we look away from Betty Broderick?